Some gas turbine engines include an axial compressor which acts as a pressure producing machine. Axial compressors generally include a series of stator and rotor blades. Gas is progressively compressed by each stator/rotor compression stage where the rotor blades exert a torque on the fluid. If the static pressure in the axial compressor rises too quickly, flow separation could occur, which in turn could lead to a lower efficiency of the axial compressor.